Spiced Hot Apple Toddy with Tea

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Hot toddies are a classic hot cocktail and make great nightcap cocktails on cold evenings or when someone is feeling under the weather. They’re typically made from whiskey, hot water, and honey as a basic recipe, but I’ve seen variations using apple cider and/or tea (like this recipe) as well. Adding black tea and apple cider to this hot toddy recipe really increases the flavor profile and makes it an even better cocktail.

Hot toddies have been around for centuries. The word “toddy” is derived from the Hindi word “taddy,” which is a beverage made from distilled palm sap. By the 1700s, the British appropriated this beverage into its current form from Indian culture and claimed it as their own. 

With exotic spices much more available due to the British colonization of India, pubs in the United Kingdom began adding hot water and spices to their whisky to combat the cold, damp weather in northern England and Scotland. 

There are also claims that the hot toddy was created by Robert Bentley Todd, an Irish physician, that ordered patients to drink his “hot toddy” recipe involving hot brandy, cinnamon, sugar, and water. And, some believe that there is truth in both origin stories, but no one knows the exact story of the evolution of hot toddies.

Hot toddies are a controversial remedy for cold and flu symptoms. There’s no clinical evidence that hot toddies will cure or shorten the common cold or other ailments, but many find them quite soothing when feeling under the weather, including myself.

There are risks to combining alcohol with medications and alcohol can cause dehydration, so always check with your physician before partaking in this or any home remedy.

Does a hot toddy always contain tea? 

No, hot toddies often use just hot water. I find that making hot toddies with tea gives much more flavor and depth to the drink.

What alcohol goes well with hot toddy? Can you mix whiskey and tea? 

Whiskey goes very well with hot tea. This is especially so if you use something like Harney and Sons’ Black Cask Bourbon Tea. You can definitely have your choice of liquor when making a hot apple toddy with tea. You can try spiced dark rum, brandy, or an aged tequila like añejo instead of whiskey.

Are whiskey or hot toddies good for a cold? Or cough? Or sore throat? 

There’s no clinical evidence that hot toddies will cure or shorten the common cold or other ailments. There is potential harm in mixing alcohol with certain medications, including those used for cold and flu symptoms. And, alcohol can be dehydrating. So, always check with your doctor or pharmacist for medical advice before drinking alcohol while on medication.

However, anecdotally, hot toddies often soothe my cold-like symptoms (which could be a placebo), but so do most warm beverages when one feels under the weather. I do like to make them when I start to feel a tickle in my throat. 

How do I make a big batch of Hot Apple Toddies? 

It’s quite simple to make a big batch of hot apple toddies. I’ve included instructions in the notes section of the recipe card for serving big batches. 

Can I make a batch in advance?

Absolutely. You can make this a few hours in advance and store it in a hot water urn or slow cooker set to low. You make a day in advance by storing it in a large pitcher (minus the whole spices) in the fridge and warm it with the whole spices in the slow cooker or small saucepan on a stovetop – it can then be kept in the slow cooker or transferred to the hot water urn.